Two ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, days after Iran promised to deal forcefully with any ship that did not do as it dictated while sailing through the strait.
A Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged amid reports that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fired missiles at shipping passing through the strait, according to Reuters.
The Qatari tanker was on fire.
“Mayday mayday mayday. This is vessel Al Rekayyat, LNG vessel Al Rekayyat. We are being hit by drone on port side, top of engine room,” the Rekayyat’s captain said in a recorded radio message.
🇮🇷 🇶🇦 The IRGC fired missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting TWO vessels, per a U.S. official.
-The IRGC launched at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the strait, a U.S. official confirms
-Both ships were hit and suffered significant… pic.twitter.com/vmgdtFV5bq
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 7, 2026
A Saudi-flagged tanker believed to be the supertanker Wedyan was also damaged off Oman’s coast, maritime security sources said. The cause was not immediately known.
Qatar called the attack on its ship “a grave and explicit violation of the provisions of international law,” according to CBS News.
Targeting the Qatari ship “constitutes a rejected aggression against the security and safety of international navigation, and the security of global energy supplies, and a grave and explicit violation of the provisions of international law, especially the rules that guarantee freedom of maritime navigation and safe passage in international straits,” Foreign Ministry representative Majed al-Ansari said.
Last week, Iran demanded ships sail where Iran says or face a “forceful response,” according to The Times of Israel.
Reuters cited a source saying that ships currently have no good options.
“Now if we use the 100 percent safe Iranian waters, it means we are dealing with Iranians and admitting the (strait) is under their control. If we pass through the U.S.-Oman (controlled channel), then you get hit,” one source said.
“The U.S. gives you permission to pass, but if something happens on the way, they then say, ‘it is your decision to keep moving or go back,’” the source added.
The middle of the strait is potentially unsafe due to Iranian mines.
The cavalry is here.
U.S. aerial refueling tankers are currently conducting refueling operations over the Strait of Hormuz, signaling an elevated level of military activity in the gulf.
If it is confirmed that Iran was responsible for the reported attack on the vessel off the… pic.twitter.com/k9gth6IUtz
— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) July 7, 2026
Iran’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Tehran will not resume negotiations called for under the MOU it signed with the U.S. after the funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei if President Donald Trump keeps using bellicose language, according to CBS News.
In a social media post, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said neither the Iranian people nor the Islamic Republic’s military would be “moved by any threats.”
Trump said Monday that the U.S. would “make a deal or we’re going to finish the job.”
“I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply.”
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